Allister Coetzee on the Springboks’ talking points

You’d expect the Springboks to have some leeway after their 3-0 series win over France in June.

But with this national team it’s never that easy and the build-up to Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Port Elizabeth has already delivered various talking points.

Here’s how Springboks coach Allister Coetzee addressed them.

The selection of Uzair Cassiem as eighthman…

It’s actually fairly simple. In June, we only had Warren Whiteley as a specialist No 8. We’ve been forced to develop depth in that position now and that’s why we have young Dan du Preez in the squad too. That said, Uzair performed really well at No 8 in the last few games of Super Rugby for the Cheetahs. He was also involved last year too and, to be honest, he’s a very similar player to Warren. He understands our attack in the wider channels and is an excellent line-out option, especially on defence. I’m very comfortable having him there.

20-year-old Curwin Bosch’s role in the team…

He’ll be covering two positions – flyhalf and fullback. We invited him to our medical camp and we didn’t have a clear idea of his decision-making abilities. He’s very mature for his age. You can see there’s a sense of confidence and we want to unlock that. I’m happy with what I’ve seen and the other coaches are too. That’s why he’s been afforded the opportunity.

Why the more nimble Jaco Kriel plays blindside flanker ahead of Jean-Luc du Preez…

Siya Kolisi played really well against the French and so did Jaco Kriel in the third Test. They were the flanker combination in the last Test. Now I know Jean-Luc also played well but Siya and Jaco went back to their franchises and continued to perform exceptionally well. When it comes to a selection like this week, I will favour experience. Jaco has, without a doubt, gained a hell of a lot experience as Lions captain since Warren’s injury. He’s now a leader and that will help (Springboks captain) Eben Etzebeth a lot in terms of leadership on the field.

How a relatively inexperienced leadership group has responded in Whiteley’s absence…

Our whole philosophy is based on clarity and simplicity. The captain we have (Eben Etzebeth) has a no-nonsense approach, there’s no grey area with him. It’s white and black. That’s what we want to do too with our decisions. When decisions are limited, we keep it simple. Eben’s style suits the team’s DNA. He’s been brilliant off the field. He needs to manage the referee, which will be a challenge, but he has support.  

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